At today’s Worldwide Developers Conference (WWDC), Apple revealed watchOS 10, its “milestone” next-generation wearable platform. It will be accessible for developers to begin toying with it today, as it has been in previous years, and a public beta test is anticipated to begin early next month. Users may anticipate that the final version will become available later on in the autumn, along with the launch of Apple Watch Series 9.
Friends, we are pleased to announce the return of the widgets. Simply turning the digital crown will bring up your widget stack, and you will be able to scroll through it for simple and fast access to the information you need. It is a significant departure from the way that customers have previously interacted with the Apple Watch and is reminiscent of the Siri watchface that was launched a few years ago in watchOS 3.
The user interface for Apple Watch applications, like Weather, Stocks, Home, Maps, Messages, and World Clock, is also being updated to be more glanceable. Apps will, in effect, be able to present more information to the user in a manner that makes use of the totality of the watch’s display.
One further change concerns the manner in which customers will use the watch’s buttons. At this time, pushing the digital crown will either activate the honeycomb app grid or the app list, depending on the settings that you have selected for your watch. You can also access Control Centre by pressing the button on the side of the device, and a double-click on the crown will take you to a list of frequently used applications.
A new watchface collection is required for a watchOS upgrade to be considered complete. This year, not only are we receiving a new watchface that has a palette, but we’re also getting a new watchface that features Snoopy and Woodstock. The Palette watchface is quite similar to what we have seen in the past; however, the primary distinction is that it makes use of three overlapping layers of colour that change as the passage of time progresses.
In watchOS 10, the focus is shifting from physical health to mental health, and one of the new features is the ability to record your emotions via an app called Mindfulness. You may navigate through a range of feelings, each of which is represented by a different abstract form, by turning the crown. You will also be able to establish your degree of risk for anxiety and depression by doing standardised assessment quizzes inside the Health app, after which you will be able to produce a PDF to share with your primary care physician. The Health app will also give you the ability to see which aspects of your lifestyle, such as the amount of sleep and exercise you get, may be having an effect on your mental health.
Apple is also introducing new cycling features as part of its expansion into the fitness industry. To begin, there are brand new training views, some of which feature individualised programmes, race routes, elevation, and cycling speeds, respectively. In the event that you decide to attach your iPhone to a bike, you will also have the option of seeing cycling as a live activity on your device. When you touch it, you’ll get a peek at the different exercise perspectives in full-screen mode. Cycling peripherals that are Bluetooth-enabled, including power metres, speed sensors, and cadence sensors, will be able to instantly connect to the watch. This will make it possible to measure new measures such as cycle power and RPM. In watchOS 10, if you use a power metre, you will now see the functional threshold power shown. This is the maximum level of intensity that you can maintain for one hour.
Hikers will have the ability to access information on trails and trailheads right from their wrists. This covers details such as the length, kind, and level of difficulty of the path. You will also be able to examine a whole new three-dimensional map of your waypoints, all thanks to the altimeter. Some of the new waypoints include the location of the last time you had access to mobile data and the location of the last time you could make an emergency call using the network of any carrier. Topographic maps, which include contour lines, hill shading, elevation data, and sites of interest, will also be made available to users in the US. You will also have access to offline maps on the iPhone, which will allow you to navigate using turn-by-turn directions and provide an estimated time of arrival. These offline maps will be displayed on Apple Watches when they are linked to an iPhone. These are significant improvements for Apple Watch Ultra owners since they bring the maps on their devices more in line with those seen on Garmin watches.
Custom Exercise Plus programmes are a component of the exercise programme that has flown under the radar. Those who subscribe will get updated fitness and meditation routines that are tailored to the day, the time, and the sort of training. Apple is also taking a leaf out of Peloton’s book by integrating Stacks, which allow you to do many workouts or meditations back-to-back, and the option to alter the audio mix. Both of these features were previously only available on Peloton. You may, for instance, turn down the level of the music if you want to pay more attention to what the teacher is saying.
The Health app will also soon include vision as one of its features. The ambient light sensor on the Apple Watch now enables the wearer to keep track of the amount of time spent outside throughout the day. Through the use of the Family Setup feature, parents will also be able to monitor the amount of time their children spend playing outdoors. Using the TrueDepth camera, the Health app will also be able to monitor screen distance, which refers to how far away you are holding an iOS device like an iPhone or iPad. You will notice if you hold it less than 12 inches away from your face for more than a few seconds at a time. Data pertaining to both mental and eye health will be protected by the app’s encryption. In addition, the medication app will get a rather small upgrade. A follow-up reminder will be sent to you in the event that you do not take your medications within the allotted time window of thirty minutes.
watchOS 10 also integrates with a few more capabilities that Apple presented in iOS 17 earlier this year. For instance, you’ll be able to use NameDrop by pulling your watch closer to another person’s iPhone or by hitting the Share button in the My Card section of the Contacts app on your watch. Both of these actions are part of the Contacts app. In addition, the complication known as “My Card” will be made accessible. Additionally, you’ll be able to replay FaceTime video communications right from your watch, and the Apple Watch will soon enable Group FaceTime Audio.
It shouldn’t come as a surprise that Apple will be concentrating on releasing new software for its smartwatches in 2023. Since Apple released not one but three new Apple Watches in 2018, it is not really time for another major hardware redesign, and there is speculation that MicroLED Apple Watches won’t be available until 2024 or 2025 at the earliest. Additionally, Series watches have been receiving minor hardware upgrades for a very long time now; however, it is unknown at this time if the Ultra will be upgraded annually, and the second-generation SE from the cheaper price range is less than a year old.
watchOS 10 is scheduled to be released this autumn for any Apple Watch Series 4 or later model.
